1k waterborne dry-erase coating composition

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a coating composition suitable for coating onto a wall or other substrate to yield a dry-erase coating, The composition may be prepared by reacting an excess amount of an aminosilane with a carbonate in aqueous media to yield a silylurethane, introducing an epoxysilane, and allowing the epoxysilane to react with the aminosilane to yield an aminodisilane. This reaction will result in a coating composition that comprises the silylurethane and the aminodisilane. The aqueous mixture of the silylurethane and the aminodisilane together constitute a coating composition that, upon curing, forms a dry-erase coating.

This application claims benefit of of co-pending U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/342,225 filed May 27, 2016, the entirety of which ishereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates generally to a dry-erase coating compositionsuitable for many applications including coating interior wall surfaces.Upon coating an interior wall surface with the coating composition, thecomposition will cure to form a dry-erase coating on the interior wallsurface.

BACKGROUND

Dry-erase boards, also referred to as whiteboards, have beenmanufactured commercially for many years. Dry-erase surfaces provide awriting surface with a non-porous character that prevents thepenetration of dry-erase marker ink through the surface. Conventionaldry-erase marker ink formulation includes a hydrophobic, oily releaseagent that inhibits permanent marking or staining of the whiteboard. Thenon-porous nature of the whiteboard combined with the oily, quick dryingmaker ink in dry erase markers allows the marker ink to be easilyremoved from the whiteboard.

To manufacture a whiteboard, the manufacturer coats a dry-erase coatingcomposition onto a substrate, and allows the substrate to dry. A numberof dry-erase coating compositions are known. Traditional dry-erasecoating compositions are created using two components, which must bemixed together immediately prior to coating the composition onto thesubstrate. Such coatings are referred to as “2K” coating compositions.Many dry-erase coating compositions are formulated using organicsolvents, which impart a high level of volatile organic compounds(“VOCs”), such as ethylene glycol, formaldehyde, or benzene, many ofwhich are hazardous. In addition, the cure time for these coatingcompositions can be several days. In light of these attributes, such 2Kdry-erase coating compositions are intended only for professionalcommercial application. In addition, some known dry-erase coatingcompositions included isocyanate compounds or epoxies. Isocyanates arehazardous, and epoxies are prone to yellowing over time.

It would be desirable to provide a dry-erase coating composition that issuitable for consumer application. For example, a homeowner, school, oroffice manager might wish to coat an interior wall surface with a such acoating composition to thereby create a dry-erase “wall,” or portion ofa wall surface. Ideally, such a dry-erase coating composition would havea low VOC concentration (less than 150 grams/liter), and would be asingle-component (or “1K”) composition that did not require pre-mixingby the consumer. The coating composition ideally would be suitable forinterior architectural surfaces such as wood, drywall, cement, metal,and plaster, or over a primer coating. The dry-erase coating compositionshould cure at ambient temperature and without ancillary equipment suchas ultraviolet lights. Upon curing, the coating composition should forma smooth, hard dry-erase coating that is resistant to interior moistureand humidity, and that is compatible with conventional dry-erasemarkers.

SUMMARY

In various nonexclusive embodiments, the present application provides acoating composition, a method for preparing a coating composition, amethod for applying a coating composition, a cured coating composition,and a method for marking a surface.

It has now been discovered that a dry-erase coating composition may beprepared by reacting an excess amount of an aminosilane with a carbonatein aqueous media to yield a silylurethane crosslinker, introducing anepoxysilane, and allowing the epoxysilane to react with the aminosilaneto yield an aminodisilane crosslinker. This reaction will result in acoating composition that comprises the silylurethane and theaminodisilane. The aqueous mixture of the silylurethane and theaminodisilane together constitute a coating composition that, uponcuring, forms a dry-erase coating. The coating composition can beformulated such that the dry-erase coating that is formed is smooth,hard, moisture-resistant, and durable, and compatible with conventionaldry-erase ink formulations.

in some embodiments, the aminosilane can have a structure represented bythe following formula (1):

where A₁, A₂, and A₃ are the same or different and comprise hydrogen orC₁-C₄ alkyl, where B₁ and B₂ are the same or different and comprisehydrogen or C₁-C₄ alkyl, with the proviso that at least one of B₁ and B₂is hydrogen, and where R₁ is C₁-C₄ alkyl.

In some embodiments, the carbonate can have a formula according to thefollowing formula (2):

R₂ and R₃ each independently including an alkyl group, or R₂ and R₃forming a cyclic structure that may include any one or more of an alkylgroup, a hydroxyalkyl group, and a hydroxyl group as substituents.

In some embodiments, the epoxysilane can have a structure according tothe following formula (3):

R₄ including any one or more of an alkyl group, a branched alkyl group,an ester group, an ether group, and a hydroxyl group, R₅ to R₇being thesame or different and including alkyl groups, and R₈ and R₉ being thesame or different and comprising hydrogen or C₁-C₄ alkyl.

In one aspect, a coating composition prepared in accordance with theabove method is provided. In another aspect, not mutually exclusive, thecoating composition comprises water and a mixture of silylurethane andaminodisilane crosslinkers including those similar to the followingformulas (6) and (7) respectively:

where A₁, A₂, and A₃ are the same or different and comprise hydrogen orC₁-C₄ alkyl, R₁₅ including an alkyl group or an alkyl amine group, andR₁₆ including an alkyl group including at least one hydroxyl group, R₁₇including an alkyl group or an alkyl amine group, R₁₈ including an alkylgroup including at least one hydroxyl group.

As described in more detail below, the coating compositions will cure toform a coating composition, the cured coating composition being withinanother aspect of the present application. Also provided herein aremethods of applying a coating composition and methods of marking asurface. These methods employ the novel coating composition and curedcoating provided herein respectively, and, are otherwise conventional.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

When prepared in accordance with the present teachings, it is possibleto provide a dry-erase coating composition that has several desirableattributes. The coating composition can be an aqueous 1K coatingcomposition that can have a low VOC content (less than 150 grams/liter;in some embodiments less than 125 grams/liter; in some embodiments lessthan 100 grams/liter; in some embodiments less than 75 grams/liter; insome embodiments less than 50 grams/liter; in some embodiments less than25 grams/liter) and in some instances essentially zero VOC content (lessthan 5 grams/liter), Cure time can be on the order of 24 hours or less.Upon curing, the cured coating can exhibit excellent marker appearanceand marker removal property, with minimal ghosting. The coating will beresistant to acetone and isopropanol, which are common whiteboardcleaning solvents, and also will be resistant to water. The compositioncan be formulated to have at least a 12-month shelf life. Notably, theseattributes are not limiting and it is possible to formulate a coatingcomposition in accordance with the present teachings that lacks some orall of the above attributes.

The coating compositions described herein are based on alkoxysilanetechnology. When used at high levels, alkoxysilanes can create a lowsurface energy film that reduces the chances of foreign bodies adheringto the surface. Alkoxysilanes also advantageously promote adhesion tomultiple types of surfaces, and incorporate substantial crosslinking toresist penetration of marker ink. The crosslinked cured compositionresults in a non-porous surface on which the coating is applied.

Generally, in preparing the coating composition, an excess amount of anaminosilane with a carbonate in aqueous media to yield a silylurethane.Any suitable aminosilane may be employed, and, for example, theaminosilane may have a structure represented by the following formula(1):

where A₁, A₂, and A₃ are the same or different and comprise hydrogen orC₁-C₄ alkyl, where B₁ and B₂ are the same or different and comprisehydrogen or C₁-C₄ alkyl, with the proviso that at least one of B₁ and B₂is hydrogen, and where R₁ is C₁-C₄ alkyl. In some embodiments, A₁, A₂,and A₃ each comprise hydrogen. For example, the aminosilane may compriseaminopropyltrisilanol. In other embodiments, where A₁, A₂, and A₃ eachmay comprise C₁-C₄ alkyl. For instance, the aminosilane may comprise anaminopropyl trialkoxysilane, such as aminopropyl trimethoxysilane:

One such compound is sold as Dynasylan AMMO by Evonik Industries, Inc.

It is believed that generally the compound of formula (1) where any ofA₁, A₂, and A₃ comprise an alkyl group will at least partially hydrateupon introduction to water to evolve a lower alcohol. For example, whenA₁, A₂, and A₃ each comprise methyl, the following reaction willtypically occur:

For example, when the aminosilane is aminopropyl trimethoxysilane, thehydrolysis reaction will result in the evolution of methanol to create(3-aminopropyl)silanetriol:

The aminosilane is then reacted with a carbonate in the aqueous media toyield a silylurethane. It is contemplated in many embodiments that, whenany of A₁, A₂, and A₃ in compound (I) comprise an alkyl group, thecompound should be introduced to water and allowed to hydrate fullybefore reacting with the carbonate, Nonetheless, it is contemplated insome embodiments that this hydrolysis reaction will not proceed tocompletion before reaction with the carbonate.

Any suitable carbonate may be employed. In preferred aspects, thecarbonate has a formula according to the following formula (2):

R₂ and R₃ each independently including an alkyl group (with or withoutterminal hydroxyl groups), or R₂ and R₃ forming a cyclic structure thatmay include any one or more of an alkyl group, a hydroxyalkyl group, anda hydroxyl group as substituents. In some embodiments, the cycliccarbonate may have an empirical formula of C_((3+y))H_((4+2y))O₄, wherey is an integer of up to four. The carbonate may, for example, comprisea carbonate having the following formula:

where A₄ indicates an alkyl group, a hydroxyalkyl group, or a hydroxylgroup. One suitable carbonate is glycerol carbonate:

The resulting monomer will be represented by the following generalformula (6):

wherein A₁, A₂, and A₃ are the same or different and typically comprisehydrogen, but some or all may comprise C₁-C₄ alkyl, R₁₅ includes analkyl group or an alkyl amine group, and R₁₆ includes an alkyl groupincluding at least one hydroxyl group. For example, when(3-aminopropyl)silanetriol is reacted with glycerol carbonate, thereaction proceeds as follows:

The ratio of aminosilane to cyclic carbonate is preferably between 0.5to 5.0, but ratios above and below this range are possible. Generally,the reaction may occur at any suitable temperature and pressure, and inpractice, it has desirably been found that satisfactory results can beobtained at room temperature (20-25° C.) and at approximately 101 kPa,Desirably, the pH of the is maintained between pH 6 and pH 11.

The resulting product is itself a 1K water-based solution that has longterm shelf stability and is stable in water, yet that is capable offorming siloxane bonds effectively upon water evaporation. Insofar asthe present application discloses aspects other than the method forpreparing the coating composition, it should be noted that the abovereaction is not limiting, however, as there are other ways to create thecrosslinker that constitutes the product of this reaction.

When the water in the solution evaporates, the silanol groups begin tocrosslink with each other forming a highly crosslinked urethane/silanestructure:

A coating applied from a coating composition prepared in accordance withthe above process can exhibit good dry-erase properties. In practice,the water resistance of the above-exemplified polymer was found to beless than desired. Accordingly, it is additionally contemplated toemploy excess aminosilane, and to additionally introduce an epoxysilane.The epoxysilane also reacts with the aminosilane to yield anaminodisilane crosslinker, thereby resulting in a coating compositionthat comprises the silylurethane monomer and the aminodisilane monomer.The introduction of the epoxysilane is intended to improve thehydrophobicity of the cured coating. Additionally, epoxies also readilyreact with amine groups at room temperature which is an added benefitfor cycle time in manufacturing.

Any suitable epoxysilane may be employed. For example, the epoxysilanemay have a structure according to the following formula (3):

R₄ including any one or more of an alkyl group, a branched alkyl group,an ester group, an ether group, and a hydroxyl group, R₅ to R₇ being thesame or different and including alkyl groups, and R₈ and R₉ being thesame or different and comprising hydrogen or C₁-C₄ alkyl. One suchepoxysilane is glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, which is sold asSILQUEST A487 by Momentive Performance Materials Inc. In thisembodiment, when (3-aminopropyl)silanetriol is reacted withglycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane in the presence of water, the reactionproceeds as follows:

More generally, the product of the aminosilane and the epoxysilane willbe an aminodisilane having the following formula (7):

where A₁, A₂, and A₃ are the same or different and comprise hydrogen orC₁-C₄ alkyl, R₁₇ including an alkyl group or an alkyl amine group, R₁₈including an alkyl group including at least one hydroxyl group.

Another suitable epoxysilane is sold as SILQUEST A486, also by MomentivePerformance Materials Inc. This epoxysilane has the following structure:

In another embodiment, the epoxysilane may gave a structure according tothe following formula (4):

R₁₀ including any one or more of an alkyl group, a branched alkyl group,an ester group, an ether group, and a hydroxyl group, and R₁₁ includingan alkyl group. In such case n is 1 to 100. One such material is sold asCoatOSil* MP 200 Silane by Momentive Performance Materials Inc.

In other embodiments, the epoxysilane may have a structure according tothe following formula (5):

R₁₂ and R₁₃ comprising a cyclic carbon structure, and R₁₄ including anyone or more of an alkyl group, a branched alkyl group, an ester group,an ether group, and a hydroxyl group.

The aminosilane should be in excess of the epoxysilane, for example at aratio of 5 to 1, but this ratio is not critical and a wide range ofvalues for this ratio are operable. At higher amount of epoxysilane, thereaction mixture becomes unstable in water and starts to condense andcrosslink in the liquid phase. It is desirable to add an acid, such asacetic acid, to the aminosilane prior to the addition of the carbonate.The final pH may be maintained below about pH 9 to prevent the silanegroups from crosslinking in the liquid phase. The presence of an acid inexcess can cause the film to dry much more slowly. A pH in the range of7 to 8.5 is believed to best balance to maintain stability.

Generally, upon reaction of the aminosilane with the epoxysilane, amixture of of silylurethane and aminodisilane crosslinkers will beformed. In some embodiments, a coating composition comprises water and amixture of silylurethane monomers and aminodisilane monomers includingmonomers according to the following formulas (6) and (7) respectively:

where A₁, A₂, and A₃ are the same or different and comprise hydrogen orC₁-C₄ alkyl, R₁₅ including an alkyl group or an alkyl amine group, andR₁₆ including an alkyl group including at least one hydroxyl group, R₁₇including an alkyl group or an alkyl amine group, and R₁₈ including analkyl group including at least one hydroxyl group. The coatingcomposition may have a solids content of the foregoing monomers of anysuitable amount, such as 30-90%. The ratio of (6) and (7) to one anothermay be any suitable ratio.

The coating composition may include other functional ingredients inamounts intended for their effective purposes. For example, the coatingcomposition may contain a colorant or a pigment. Desirably, when thecoating composition is intended for use as a whiteboard paint, thepigment may be titanium dioxide. The colorant may be present in anyamount suitable to impart color and covering effect to the finishedcoating. Other suitable pigments include any suitable pigment particles,such as azo pigments, anazurite, aluminum silicate, aluminum potassiumsilicate, aluminum paste, anthraquinone pigments, antimony oxide, bariummetaborate, barium sulfate, calcium carbonate, calcium metaborate,calcium metasilicate, carbon black, chromium oxides, clay, copperoxides, copper oxychloride, dioxazine pigments, feldspar, hansa yellows,iron oxides such as yellow and red iron oxides, isoindoline pigments,kaolinite, lithopone, magnesium silicates, metallic flakes, mica,napthol pigments such as napthol reds, nitroso pigments, nephelinesyenite, perinone pigments, perylene pigments, polycyclic pigments,pyrropyrrol pigments, pthalocyanines such as copper pthalocyanine blueand copper pthalocyanine green, quinacridones such as quinacridoneviolets, quinophthalone pigments, silicates, sulfides, talc, titaniumdioxide, ultramarine, zinc chromate, zinc oxide, and zinc phosphate. Inaddition, pearlescents, optical brighteners, ultraviolet stabilizers,and the like may be employed. Colored pigments ordinarily would not beemployed for whiteboard paint, but could be used in other applications.The pigment may be used in any amount suitable for imparting color tothe composition.

The composition further may include a plasticizer to improve watersensitivity. It is believed that exposure of the cured coating to watermay tend to increase crosslinking (post-cure drift), thus hardening thefilm and making the film susceptible to cracking. A flexible plasticizeror spacer may be added to at least partially alleviate embrittleness dueto additional post-cure silanol crosslinking. One suitable spacer ispolyethylene glycol (such as PEG8000)which can be added until thedesired flexibility is achieved, however some dry erase performance mayworsen at higher concentration.

Additional hydroxysilanes may be employed. For example, a compound,containing a siloxane group, and represented by the following generalformula:

where X is one or more functional groups, may be used to provide amonomer with high performance dry-erase properties and the additionalfunctionality of the functional groups represented by X.

The coating composition also may include any one or more of dispersants,surfactants, wetting agents, synergists, and rheology modifiers. Thesematerials are preferably soluble in a range of solvents from non-polarsolvents, such as odorless mineral spirits, to polar solvents, such asmethyl ethyl ketone. Any suitable dispersant, such as any one or more ofanionic dispersants, cationic dispersants, amphoteric dispersants, ornonionic dispersants may be used in conjunction with a pigment vehicle.Other known dispersants believed to be suitable include Nuosperse® 657and Nuosperse® FA 196 available from Elementis Specialties, Disperbyk108 available from Altana AG, and Solsperse™ M387 available fromLubrizol Corporation. Similarly, any suitable wetting agents such as anyone or more of anionic wetting agents, cationic wetting agents,amphoteric wetting agents, or nonionic wetting agents may be used. Anexemplary synergist is Solsperse™ 5000 available from LubrizolCorporation. Exemplary rheology modifiers include Suspeno 201-MSavailable from Poly-Resyn, Inc. and Aerosil® available from EvonikIndustries.

Once formed, the coating composition may be applied immediately to asubstrate, but the coating composition also may be dispensed into asuitable container, such as a paint can, and sealed. It is believed thatthe coating composition will have a shelf life of at least twelvemonths.

Once applied to the substrate, the coating composition will cure aswater evaporates and as the composition crosslinks. The curing processdoes not require additional equipment (e.g., a UV source), but rather,curing occurs in the open air through the evaporation of the water fromthe water-based solution and as water is evolved in the crosslinkingreaction.

The coating composition may be employed for any suitable purpose. Incertain embodiments, the coating composition may be applied to a surfacein order to impart dry-erase characteristics. For example, the surfacemay be a wall, which may have paint or a primer already applied to thesurface of the wall, over which the coating can be applied. The coatingcomposition may be applied with brush, roller, sponge, or spray gun, orother conventional painting tool. The cured coating may have anysuitable thickness, such as a thickness ranging from about 0.05 mm toabout 2 mm.

The high amount of crosslinking that occurs provides a coating that hasa low porosity. The low porosity increases the durability of thecoating, the resistance of the coating to water, and the resistance ofthe coating to marker ghosting.

When the coating composition is applied to a surface, and allowed tosuccessfully cure, a dry-erase marker may be used to mark the surface ofthe coating. As the siloxane linkages (formed through self-crosslinking)have low surface energy and good barrier properties, the ink from thedry-erase marker does not penetrate into or chemically bond with thecured coating. Accordingly, the dry-erase marker ink can be successfullyremoved by wiping without a cleaning solution or using a commerciallyavailable dry-erase cleaner that includes chemicals (e.g., water,propylene glycol n-butyl ether, and/or isopropyl alcohol). In addition,the coating may be able to resist a ghosting effect when marker ink isleft on the surface for up to >1 month, due to the low porosity.

EXAMPLES

Dry-erase properties of two coating composition samples were coated ontoa LENETA® test chart, available from the Leneta Company, Inc. (Mahwah,N.J.). For comparison, similar charts were coated with two commercial 2Kdry-erase coating compositions, Contractor Series 2K ISO Dry Erase andSKETCH PAD™ 2K NISO, both available from The Sherwin-Williams Company(Cleveland, Ohio). Common dry-erase marker types, including the EXPO®Low-Odor Dry Erase marker, available from Sanford L.P. (Oak Brook, Ill.)and the AVERY® MARKS-A-LOT® marker, available from the Avery DennisonCorporation (Glendale, Calif.) were tested. Both markers confirm to ASTMD4236 standards. Ink from each dry-erase marker was allowed to stand onthe cured surface for a set period of time, and the surface was thenwiped clean with a dry erase brush or a cloth. The cured coatingcompositions were rated for ink acceptance, i.e., the lifting orbleeding of the ink mark on the surface of the paint film, and inkremoval, with the rating scale being 1 (worst) to 3 (best). As shown inTable 1 below, the exemplary coating compositions performed as well asthe commercial 2K dry-erase coating products.

TABLE 1 DRY-ERASE PERFORMANCE TEST CONTROL PRODUCT LAB SAMPLE OFContractor SKETCH DRY ERASE RESIN Series 2K ISO PAD ™ Lab Sample LabSample Dry Erase 2K NISO #1 #2 1 Day Air Dry 3 3 3 3 1 Week Air 3 3 3 3Dry >1 Week Air 3 3 3 3 Dry 1 day air dry N.A. (2K) N.A. (2K) 3 3 afterliquid sample 4 weeks in oven at 120° F.

Although the above description has focused on the disclosed coatingcompositions as dry-erase compositions, the compositions arecontemplated to have many other uses. For example, the coatingcomposition may be applied to a metal surface, in particular a ferroussurface, to form a rust-resistant or other protective coating layer onthe metal surface. The composition may be applied to other surfaces suchas concrete, painted or unpainted drywall, or plastics. It is alsocontemplated that the coating composition may be used as a coalescentaid in water-based paints.

All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable orderunless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted bycontext. The use of any and all examples, or language describing anexample (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended to illuminate theinvention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention.Any statement herein as to the nature or benefits of the invention or ofthe preferred embodiments is not intended to be limiting. This inventionincludes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recitedherein as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of theabove-described elements in all possible variations thereof isencompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein orotherwise clearly contradicted by context. The description herein of anyreference or patent, even if identified as “prior,” is not intended toconstitute a concession that such reference or patent is available asprior art against the present invention. No unclaimed language should bedeemed to limit the invention in scope. Any statements or suggestionsherein that certain features constitute a component of the claimedinvention are not intended to be limiting unless reflected in theappended claims. Neither the marking of the patent number on any productnor the identification of the patent number in connection with anyservice should be deemed a representation that all embodiments describedherein are incorporated into such product or service.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of making a coating composition, themethod comprising: reacting an excess amount of an aminosilane with acarbonate in aqueous media to yield a silylurethane, introducing anepoxysilane, and allowing the epoxysilane to react with said aminosilaneto yield an aminodisilane monomer, thereby resulting in a coatingcomposition that comprises said silylurethane crosslinker and saidaminodisilane crosslinker.
 2. The method according to claim 1,comprising preparing said silylurethane crosslinker and saidaminodisilane crosslinker in a single reaction vessel.
 3. The methodaccording to claim 1 the aminosilane having a structure represented bythe following formula (1):

where A₁, A₂, and A₃ are the same or different and comprise hydrogen orC₁-C₄ alkyl, where B₁ and B₂ are the same or different and comprisehydrogen or C₁-C₄alkyl, with the proviso that at least one of B₁ and B₂is hydrogen, and where R₁ is C₁-C₄ alkyl.
 4. The method according toclaim 3, where A₁, A₂, and A₃ each comprise hydrogen.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 4, the aminosilane comprising aminopropyltrisilanol.6. The method according to claim 3, where A₁, A₂, and A₃ each compriseC₁-C₄ alkyl.
 7. The method according to claim 6, the aminosilanecomprising an aminopropyl trialkoxysilane.
 8. The method according toclaim 7, the aminosilane comprising aminopropyl trimethoxysilane.
 9. Themethod according to claim 1, the carbonate having a formula according tothe following formula (2):

R₂ and R₃ each independently including an alkyl group, or R₂ and R₃forming a cyclic structure that may include any one or more of an alkylgroup, a hydroxyalkyl group, and a hydroxyl group as substituents. 10.The method according to claim 9, the carbonate being glycerol carbonate.11. The method according to claim 1, the epoxysilane having a structureaccording to the following formula (3):

R₄ including any one or more of an alkyl group, a branched alkyl group,an ester group, an ether group, and a hydroxyl group, R₅ to R₇ being thesame or different and including alkyl groups, and R₈ and R₉ being thesame or different and comprising hydrogen or C₁-C₄ alkyl.
 12. The methodaccording to claim 11, the epoxysilane comprisingglycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane
 13. The method according to claim 1, theepoxysilane having a structure according to the following formula (4):

R₁₀ including any one or more of an alkyl group, a branched alkyl group,an ester group, an ether group, and a hydroxyl group, and R₁₁ includingan alkyl group. Here n can be 1-100.
 14. The method according to claim1, the epoxysilane having a structure according to the following formula(5):

R₁₂ and R₁₃ comprising a cyclic carbon structure, and R₁₄ including anyone or more of an alkyl group, a branched alkyl group, an ester group,an ether group, and a hydroxyl group.
 15. The method according to claim1, including maintaining the reaction pH to a pH between 6 and
 11. 16.The method according to claim 1, further including adding a spacer. 17.The method of claim 16, said spacer comprising polyethylene glycol. 18.The method according to claim 1, further including adding a pigment. 19.The method according to claim 18, the pigment including titaniumdioxide.